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'Percival Noel James Patterson', ON, QC (born 10 April 1935) was the Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1992 to 2006. Until February 2006 he was the leader of the Jamaican People's National Party. The new PNP leader, Portia Simpson-Miller, took over as Prime Minister on 30 March 2006.
Patterson was Jamaica's longest-serving Prime Minister. He first entered politics in 1969, winning a by-election to a seat in western Jamaica, campaigning with the slogan "Young, gifted, and black".
Patterson served in a variety of cabinet posts under Prime Minister Michael Manley, both in the 1970s, and during Manley's second prime ministership at the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s. He became Prime Minister and leader of the People's National Party himself when Manley resigned in 1992. Prior to the resignation Patterson was tied to a controversial scandal but miraculously led the party to victory in the three successive elections, an unprecedented record in Jamaican electoral history.
His years as Prime Minister were marked by persistent allegations of corruption. His terms in office have seen a worsening in almost all aspects of Jamaican society, including: a markedly weakened economy, an alarmingly high rate of crime and violence and, most notably, a significant decline in the quality of education.
He made headlines in 2004 when it was announced that Jamaica (as well as Saint Kitts and Nevis and Venezuela) would not recognize the internationally-installed government of Gérard Latortue in Haiti following the alleged resignation of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Patterson was instrumental in arranging for Aristide to take up temporary residence in Jamaica during Aristide's lawsuit against the United States and France accusing the countries of kidnapping him.
Following Hurricane Katrina Patterson offered 30 trips for two, all expenses paid, to Jamaica for victims of the hurricane.
Patterson is a graduate of the University of the West Indies Mona Campus, and the London School of Economics.

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